More shocked than the surrounding spectators was Gu He himself!
While refining his pill, Gu He had been watching Xiao Yan from the corner of his eye as he calmly and skillfully tossed medicinal ingredients into the cauldron one after another. Gu He had already realized that Xiao Yan was not merely trying to pressure him—he truly knew how to refine pills!
His mind wavered, and the soul power he had been using to steadily control the ingredients trembled slightly as well.
Boom!
After the many medicinal ingredients lost control, a violent surge of energy erupted. Then, amid a muffled explosion, the purified medicinal liquid Gu He had just extracted was scattered apart.
Gu He's gaze was somewhat dazed. The greatest taboo for an alchemist refining pills was distraction. He had only spared a glance at Xiao Yan during the simplest stage, yet Xiao Yan's actions had shocked him so badly that an entire batch of ingredients had been ruined.
Gu He swallowed a blue-and-white pill. His emotional fluctuations had been too great, and he was temporarily unfit to continue refining.
Gu He simply chose not to look at Xiao Yan anymore. He had already sensed a considerable threat from him. From the ingredients Xiao Yan had used in that brief glance, Gu He knew that the pill Xiao Yan was refining was likely a sixth-tier pill as well. Winning would not be so easy. He needed to give it his all now!
Gu He silently absorbed the medicinal power of the pill. As his thoughts settled, he began devoting all his focus to pill refinement.
Just as Gu He steadied his mind, a muffled sound also came from Xiao Yan's cauldron. Xiao Yan had likewise failed on his first attempt.
Xiao Yan looked at the cauldron and lowered his